COFFEE SHOPS

Vancouver is Seattle North. We have a passion for great coffee and you will not be hard pressed to find Starbucks throughout downtown Vancouver but some of our best coffee comes from artisanal producers and retailers.

Top 3 Coffee Shops

Bump and Grind Commercial Drive
Great espresso and Clover machine coffees roasted by 49th Parallel. Located on the Northern end of Commercial Drive this coffee shop is a comfy place to relax and enjoy outstanding coffee. Evening's sometimes feature DJ's and the staff know their coffees.

Cafe Artigiano various locations. Best downtown location 763 Hornby Street
Cafe Artigiano has been home to some of Canada's best baristas and six time champions. The Hornby Street location is part of the Cup of Excellence programme featuring top coffees from small producers of provenance and origin.

JJ Bean various locations. Best downtown location Woodward's District 146 West Cordova Street
These guys treat coffee like wine, blind tastings selection of coffee with a focus on seasonality, new crop, and coffee with varietal and place of origin qualities. Staff are extremely knowledgeable and the new coffee shop in the revitalised Woodward's building is a fantastic looking shop with old wood beams and exposed concrete in the heart of the Gastown neighbourhood with some of the best cocktail bars and restaurants.

WINE & BEER SHOPS

Vancouver has a mix of Government and private wine, spirit, and beer retailers. The private wine shops offer an amazing selection of products not found in the government run BCLDB British Columbia Distribution Board retal outlets and have very knowledgeable and passionate staff. Private shops are also your best bet for finding the best of British Columbia wines and most have extended hours of operation and delivery for case purchases.

Best 3 Private Wine Shops

Marquis Wine Cellar
Liberty Wine Merchants
Dundarave Wine Cellar

Best Three Beer Shops
Firefly
Brewery Creek
Viti Wine & Lager Store


Best 3 Government Shops
BCLDB Thurlow and Alberni
BCLDB Artubutus
BCLDB

BEST BOUTIQUE HOTELS

Vancouver boasts a great array of hotels but we realy enjoy the slick, trendy, and design oriented boutique hotels. Our choices include:

Top 3 Boutique Hotels

Opus Hotel:
http://www.opushotel.com/opus.html

Wedgewood:
http://www.wedgewoodhotel.com/index.php
Loden:
http://www.lodenvancouver.com/index.html

BEST CITY WALKS

Vancouver is a walkers, bikers, or rollerbladers dream. The best walks are.

Best 3 Walks Sceanic

Stanley Park:
Coal Harbour:
False Creek:

Best 3 Walks Interesting Streets

Robson Street:
Main Street:
West 4th Avenue:


Other Picks:

BEST PINTS

Best places for a pint of real beer:

Top 3 Pints

Albi Room
Whip
Irish Heather:

Other Picks:

KITCHEN SEATS

One of the most enjoy dining experiences is that of sitting at the chef's table or kitchen seats interacting with the service and kitchen staff as well as watching your own meal be prepared.

Our favourites are:

Top 3:

Fuel: One of Vancouver's best restaurants and all round big Riesling list in the city. There are six seats at the kitchen bar.
http://www.fuelrestaurant.ca/
Yew:

Two Chef's and a Table: This small 25 seat restaurant at the edge of historic Gastown has a small two seat table at the bar .

http://www.twochefsandatable.com/

BEST ASIAN RESTUARANTS

Our multicultural city has some great Asian restaurants. Here's our pick for Indian, Chinese, and SE Asia.

Top 3 Asian Restaurants

Vij's and Rangoli

Imperial Seafood